ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Finance
23.24 lakh loans have been sanctioned and 18.54 lakh loans have been disbursed under PM SVANidhi Scheme
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs  has informed that, on 15.03.2021, 23.24 lakh loans have been sanctioned and 18.54 lakh loans have been disbursed to the beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors, Atma Nirbhar Nidhi Scheme .
This was stated by Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs, in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
The Minister stated that MoHUA launched Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors, Atma Nirbhar Nidhi Scheme  on June 1, 2020, with the objective to facilitate collateral free working capital loan up to Rs. 10,000 of one year tenure, to about 50 lakh street vendors across the country whose businesses had been adversely affected due to lockdown. The scheme also provides for incentives in the form of interest subsidy @ 7% per annum on regular repayment of loan and cash-back reward upto Rs. 100 per month on undertaking prescribed digital transactions.
The Minister further stated that on timely or early repayment, the vendors are eligible for enhanced working capital loan during the next cycle. The scheme further provides for Socio-economic profiling of beneficiaries and their families to determine their eligibility for various central Government welfare Schemes and link them to these schemes. The Scheme also aims to facilitate beneficiary Street Food Vendors to on-board e-commerce platforms for food delivery.
State-wise data of loan sanctioned and disbursed is ANNEXED.
Prime Minister's Office
PM congratulates Sundar Singh Gurjar for winning Bronze medal in Javelin at Paralympics Games
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated Sundar Singh Gurjar for winning the Bronze medal in Javelin at Paralympics Games in Tokyo.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"India is overjoyed by the Bronze medal won by @SundarSGurjar. He has shown remarkable courage and dedication. Congratulations to him. Wishing him the very best. #Paralympics"
Cabinet
Cabinet approves re-structuring of National Skill Development Fund  and National Skill Development Corporation  to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for restructuring of National Skill Development Fund  and National Skill Development Corporation  to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework.
The restructuring will also ensure better corporate governance, transparency and accountability in operations of NSDC besides strengthening the oversight role of NSDF. The approval would lead to restructuring of composition of Board of NSDF and the NSDC to strengthen governance, implementation and monitoring framework.
Background:
NSDC and NSDF were set up by the Ministry of Finance and registered in July, 2008 and January, 2009 respectively for implementing coordinated action for skill development. NSDF trust was incorporated to act as a receptacle for financial contributions from Governmental sources, bilateral/multilateral and other agencies. Its main objective is to enhance, stimulate and develop the skills of Indian youth force by various sector specific programmes.
NSDF entered into an Investment Management Agreement  with NSDC for utilization of its corpus to meet the desired objectives of National Skill Development Mission and encourage skill development in the country. Provision of supervisory role of NSDF over NSDC's functions is also included in the IMA between NSDC and NSDF.
Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Cabinet approves continuation of the scheme on Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs beyond the 12th Plan Period
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for continuation of the scheme on Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs  for another three financial years  and providing Grants-in-aid of Rs.18 crore to the Institute. It will make the Institute self-sustainable by the end of FY 2019-20.
Impact:
· The training programs, research activities and projects conducted by the Institute in partnership with public and private sector in the niche areas of Corporate Governance will enhance the skill sets resulting in increased employability of students as well as professionals.
· The thrust of the Institute is to become a prestigious Institute in the field of Corporate Laws while enhancing its resources and revenues.
· It is envisaged that IICA will be an Institute of National importance thereby becoming an engine of growth leading to increased economic activity.
· The improvement in the professional competence is also expected to help the professionals in tapping employment opportunities in emerging corporate areas including those in overseas.
Background:
The National Foundation for Corporate Social Responsibility  at IICA is responsible for Corporate Social Responsibility  initiatives. The Foundation has been designed around the new provisions of Companies Act, 2013. The NFCSR conducts various activities in partnership with Corporates in the field of CSR, oriented towards social inclusion.
IICA is a think-tank and repository of data and knowledge to support rational decision-making for the policy makers, regulators as well as other stakeholders working in areas related to the corporate sector. It offers services to stakeholders in the field of corporate laws, corporate governance, CSR, accounting standards, investor education, etc. Various activities of IICA also help first-generation entrepreneurs and small business for imparting multi-disciplinary skills as they are unable to afford to employ separate experts in management, law, accountancy, etc.
Election Commission
Bye Election to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council by the members of Legislative Assembly 
There is one casual vacancy in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council by the members of Legislative Assembly. The details of the vacancy are as follows:
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Name of Member
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Nature of election
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Cause of vacancy
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Term up to
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Challa Ramakrishna Reddy
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By MLAs
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Death
on 01.01.2021
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29.03.2023
2. The Commission has decided to hold a bye-election to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council by the members of the Legislative Assembly to fill the above mentioned vacancy as per the following schedule: -
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S. No.
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Events
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Dates
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-
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Issue of Notification
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25th February, 2021 
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-
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Last Date of making nominations
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04th March, 2021 
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-
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Scrutiny of nominations
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05th March, 2021 
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-
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Last date for withdrawal of candidatures
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08th March, 2021 
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-
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Date of Poll
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15th March, 2021 
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Hours of Poll
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09:00 am to 04:00 pm
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-
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Counting of Votes
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15th March, 2021  at 05:00 pm
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-
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Date before which election shall be completed
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18th March, 2021 
3. Broad Guidelines to be followed during entire election process for all persons: -
I. Every person shall wear face mask during every election related activity
II. At the entry of hall/ room/ premises used for election purposes:
 Thermal Scanning of all persons shall be carried out
 Sanitizer shall be made available at all locations
III. Social distancing shall be maintained as per the extant COVID-19 guidelines of the State Govt. and Ministry of Home Affairs.
4. The Chief Secretary, Andhra Pradesh is being directed to depute a senior officer from the State to ensure that the extant instructions regarding COVID-19 containment measures are complied with while making arrangements for conducting the election.
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SBS/RP/AC
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Special Service and Features
Kanyakumari to Raj Ghat: CRPF’s 2850 Km Cycle Rally flagged off
In order to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India, as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, an initiative of the Government of India, the Central Reserve Police Force flagged off a Cycle Rally from Gandhi Mandapam Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu today. The rally titled, Kanyakumari to Rajghat will culminate at New Delhi’s Raj Ghat on 2nd October 2021, covering a total distance of 2850 km.
Shri T. Mano Thankaraj, Minister of Information and Technology, Govt of Tamilnadu, flagged off the rally at Gandhi Mandapam, Kanyakumari in the presence of local prominent leaders, dignitaries, senior officers and personnel of the Force. The rally will traverse the states of Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The rally will cover 70-80 Km a day while also visiting historically significant places related to freedom struggle enroute, cherishing the great sacrifices made by our freedom fighters and apprising people about the historic celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Shri Pradeep Kumar Asst Comdt, Group Centre, CRPF, Pallipuram is the Captain ofthe rally that has 15 cyclists. A medical team along with administrative support is also accompanying them. The flag off ceremony was marked by a variety of colourful cultural events of Kerala and Tamilnadu. Three more big cycle rallies of CRPF, from Jorhat in Assam, Sabarmati of Gujarat and Jammu will also commence soon in the series of these celebrations and culminate on 2nd Oct 2021 at Rajghat.
All Departments and Ministries will host a set of activities for a resurgent, Aatmanirbhar Bharat. It is to be noted that to mark the momentous occasion and honor the warriors of freedom struggle, Central Reserve Police Force, is organizing several functions, in all its 400 static and 1200 field establishments with full zeal and enthusiasm.
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Prime Minister's Office
PM chairs 35th PRAGATI interaction
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today chaired the meeting of 35th edition of PRAGATI, the ICT based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Central and State governments.
In the meeting, ten agenda items were taken for review including nine projects and one program. Among the nine projects, three projects were from the Ministry of Railways, three from MORTH, and one project each from DPIIT, Power Ministry and Ministry of External Affairs. These nine projects have a cumulative cost of Rs. 54,675 crore concerning the 15 states viz. Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
During the interaction, the Prime Minister also reviewed the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana.
The Prime Minister directed all the officials to ensure expeditious resolution of issues hindering infrastructure projects. He also encouraged Department of Pharmaceuticals and states and UTs to ensure wide publicity of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana and use technology to enhance its effectiveness.
Up to the 34th edition of PRAGATI meetings, 283 projects having a total cost of 13.14 lakh crore have been reviewed.
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
European Investment Bank’s Global Director meets CMD, IREDA for collaboration on RE and Green Hydrogen projects financing
Ms. Maria Shaw-Barragan, Global Director, European Investment Bank , met Shri Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman & Managing Directors , Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited , at IREDA’s corporate office today.
Commenting on the potential collaboration, Shri Das said, "IREDA is committed to supporting the growth of Renewable Energy in India through financing, and we will be happy to be partnering with the European Investment Bank to achieve our climate goals. This collaboration will provide much-needed support for the development of Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen projects in India, helping to open up new opportunities for the country's citizens and advancing the Government of India's goal of achieving 50% of its installed energy capacity from non-fossil fuels by the year 2030."
CMD, IREDA also emphasised how this kind of collaboration can create new opportunities in the emerging segment of Renewable Energy, Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia, E-Mobility, Battery storage, etc. enabling project developers, investors, and other stakeholders to leverage the expertise and resources of two reputable institutions. It can help to create a faster sustainable future for all.
The Global Director of the EIB commended IREDA for its impressive growth over the previous three years. She also praised Team IREDA for quickly, effectively, and qualitatively financing the RE projects.
Shri Chintan Shah, Director , IREDA, Dr. R. C. Sharma, CFO, IREDA, and other senior IREDA and EIB officials also attended the meeting.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Centre begins release of stocks from onion buffer of 3 lakh metric tonne
Government of India maintaining onion buffer under the Price Stabilisation Fund to check prices of onion
The Department of Consumer Affairs has decided to commence the release of stocks from the onion buffer of 3.00 lakh metric tonne created this year. Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary of the Department took a meeting with the Managing Directors of NAFED and NCCF on 10.08.2023 and finalized the modalities for the disposal. It was decided to release the onion stocks by targeting key markets in states or regions where retail prices are ruling above the all-India average and also where the rates of increase in prices over previous month and year are above threshold level. Disposal through e-auction and retail sales on e-commerce platforms are also being explored. The quantity and pace of disposal will also be calibrated with the prices and availability situations with the objective of making onion available to consumers at affordable prices. Apart from market disposal, it was also decided to offer to the States at discounted rates for sale through retail outlets of their consumer cooperatives and corporations.
In current year, a total of 3.00 lakh metric tonne of onion has been procured for the buffer, which could be enhanced further, if situation demands. The two central nodal agencies, viz., NAFED and NCCF had procured 1.50 lakh metric tonne each of rabi onion during June and July from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. This year, irradiation of onion had also been taken up on pilot basis in collaboration with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre  with the objective of minimizing storage loss. About 1,000 MT had been irradiated and stored in controlled atmosphere storage.
The Government has been maintaining onion buffer under the Price Stabilisation Fund to check the volatility in prices of onion. The annual buffers have been built by procuring onions from rabi harvest for release in major consumption centres during the lean season. Onion buffer size has been tripled in past four years; from 1.00 lakh metric tonne in 2020-21 to 3.00 lakh metric tonne in 2023-24. The onion buffer has played a key role in ensuring availability of onion to the consumers at affordable prices and in maintaining price stability.
Cabinet
Cabinet apprised of two Bilateral MoUs between India and Cuba, and India and Korea in the area of Biotechnology
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of two Bilateral Memorandums of Understanding signed between India and Cuba, and India and Korea in the area of Biotechnology. The MoUs were signed on 22nd June 2018 at Havana, Cuba and on 9th July 2018 at New Delhi, respectively. The MoUs signed with Cuba and Korea respectively, are in the agreed areas of collaboration and objectives in the field of Science & Technology, wherever the expertise in these areas exist in the country.
Major impact
The MoUs have been signed to strengthen the Indo-Cuba and Indo-Republic of Korea bilateral ties, to work out the future agenda for the collaboration for Innovation in S&T Diplomacy to evolve a concrete strategic plan in the area of biotechnology education, training and research.The proposal has the potential towards employment generation for more than 50 postgraduates and Ph.Ds in biological sciences and related areas for a period of upto five years.
Background:
Indo-Cuba Collaboration
India and Cuba signed a bilateral MoU to deepen collaboration on biotechnology on 22nd June 2018 during the visit of Hon'ble President of India to Havana, Cuba. The Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of the Republic of Cuba, have signed the MoU on 22nd June,2018 at Havana.
India-Republic of Korea Collaboration
India and Korea have signed an MoUin the area ofBiotechnology and Bio-economy. The MoU aims to broaden and deepen cooperation between the two countries in Science & Technology, in the fields of Biotechnology and encouraging industrial R&D and related bilateral investment flows.
Ministry of Defence
Sainik School Society
The Government has approved the initiative of setting up of 100 new Sainik Schools in partnership with NGOs/Private Schools/State Governments in a graded manner class-wise, starting from Class 6 onwards, with an effort to cover as many States and UTs as possible, under the aegis of Sainik Schools Society, Ministry of Defence. These new Sainik Schools are intended to run in an exclusive vertical, distinct and different from existing Sainik Schools. Notwithstanding, the new Sainik Schools will be required to follow the Academic Plus curriculum, similar to that in existing Sainik Schools which includes value based curriculum and activities training in life skills, NCC and sports to develop the ethos of national spirit, indomitable courage, unfailing commitment to values of respect for country and society while providing “Academics Plus” type of educational environment and training of similar order.
379 applications have been received by Sainik Schools Society, Ministry of Defence from NGOs/Private Schools/State Governments through web portal http://sainikschool.ncog.gov.in, which are subject to short-listing for approval based on meeting of qualifying requirements framed for the purpose and agreeing to the Rules & Regulations of New Sainik Schools in Partnership mode and signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with the Sainik Schools Society.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Ms Indu Bala Goswami in Rajya Sabha on March 21, 2022.
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Ministry of Finance
Income Tax Department conducts search operations in Delhi
The Income Tax Department initiated search action on 24.11.2021 on a taxpayer in Delhi who has created a beneficiary trust and an underlying company in low tax overseas jurisdiction. The residence and business premises of the assessee were covered in the search action.
The search operation revealed that these undisclosed entities in low tax overseas jurisdictions were holding assets worth Rs. 40 crore in the form of immovable and movable assets. The taxpayer was availing handling services of a foreign Bank having branches in India that offers wealth management, financial planning, asset allocation, equity research, fixed income, investment strategies and fiduciary services.
During the search operation at his residence, corroborating evidences in the form of e-mails and documents have been found establishing his beneficial ownership of the foreign assets. In his statement recorded during the search, he has admitted to ownership of foreign assets. At the business premises, one hard disk containing data in the form of parallel set of books of accounts has been found. A preliminary analysis of such gathered evidences indicate understatement of domestic income to the tune of Rs. 30 crore from business undertaken in India.
Further investigations are under progress.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Shri Nitin Gadkari approves development of 32 km long 6-lane Access Controlled Greenfield Highway on  Bengaluru–Vijayawada Economic Corridor in Hybrid Annuity Mode in Andhra Pradesh worth Rs 1292.65 Crore under Bharatmala Pariyojana
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari approved ₹1292.65 Crore under Bharatmala Pariyojana for the development of 32.00 Km long 6-lane Access Controlled Greenfield Highway from Chandrasekharapuram to Polavaram on  Bengaluru–Vijayawada Economic Corridor in Hybrid Annuity Mode in Andhra Pradesh.
In a series of tweets Shri Gadkari informed the Bengaluru – Kadapa – Vijayawada Economic Corridor starts from Bengaluru STRR which utilizes the existing Bengaluru – Hyderabad  till the Kodikonda checkpost on NH 44.
Shri Gadkari said thereafter, the proposed Greenfield Economic Corridor traverses from Kodikonda checkpost  on NH-44  to Muppavaram village near Addanki on NH-16. He said from Muppavaram the alignment utilizes the existing NH-16 till Vijayawada. The entire corridor from Kodikonda checkpost to Muppavaram with a length of 342.5 Km is completely a Greenfield highway. This stretch in the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh is proposed to be developed in 14 Packages, he added.
Ministry of Defence
PM Lays Foundation Stone for Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Sela Tunnel Project in Arunachal Pradesh, today. The Project costing Rs. 687 crore being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation  would be completed in the next three years. It covers a total distance of 12.04 kms which consist of two tunnels of 1790 and 475 meters. Once completed this would result in:-
- All weather connectivity to Tawang and forward areas.
- Reduction in more than one hour of travelling time from Tezpur to Tawang.
- Travellers would be able to avoid the dangerous snow covered Sela top at a height of 13,700 feet.
All weather connectivity to Tawang would be a game changer for the local population ahead of Sela apart from the much required strategic edge for our security forces.
Nampi/Rajib
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